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Ryan's iPod: AC/DC to Zeppelin

Young politicians and leaders here say Ryan’s nomination as vice president is a boon to the party’s hopes of exciting the youth vote won heavily by President Barack Obama in 2008. And far from shying away from discussions about Medicare that Ryan inspires, next generation GOPers say they’re ready and excited to debate entitlements.

On its face, the Ryan selection is a boost for Republicans hoping to dig into Democrats’ youth vote advantage because he’s young and energetic.

“[Ryan] is somebody who’s closer in age to me than he is to his opponent, Joe Biden,” said College Republicans President Alex Schriver, who said he “could not be happier” about Romney’s VP choice.

The Wisconsin lawmaker is the first Generation X candidate on either major party ticket, and his presence on the campaign trail has added oomph to Mitt Romney’s rallies. Plus, Ryan’s youthful image is helped by his reputation as an avid P90X fan.

“Especially when you see pictures of him hunting, or doing whatever … this is a guy who actually likes to do things we do,” said Elliott Echols, a 22-year-old Georgia delegate College Republicans regional director.

Winning the youth vote outright would be incredibly difficult for Republicans, who have been at a disadvantage with the demographic for the last 20 years. In 2008, exit polling found that Obama beat John McCain among voters 18-29 by a 34-point margin, 66 percent to 32 percent.

But on a deeper level, young Republicans say, Ryan can speak to younger voters about issues like Medicare and entitlement reform in a way older politicians can’t, because he’ll be affected by the reforms as well. Ryan’s Medicare overhaul would begin to change benefits in 2023.

Jackie Curtiss, the 22-year-old Republican National Committee member from Alabama who attempted to strike a plank from the anti-abortion rights part of the Republican platform, said Ryan’s youth is good for Republicans like her, who are younger than most of the people in the room when policy issues are discussed.

“He does understand some of the issues that are important to young people like the debt and Medicare and the other entitlements — Social Security,” she said. “The older generation, they are so afraid to talk about it. They realize they can push it down the road. While it is their issue, it’s not going to affect them as much, so they can push it down the road. But this is our issue.”

Schriver agreed, saying Ryan is an especially effective messenger to young voters.

“There’s a difference between talking about young voters and talking to young voters, and I think Paul Ryan is somebody who gets that,” he said. “In the two weeks he’s been our vice-presidential nominee, he’s been on college campuses in Ohio, he’s been on college campuses in New Hampshire.”

And despite the traditional difficulties for political candidates in discussing Medicare, young people are ready to have a conversation about it, specifically because they’re the ones who would be most affected by any changes to the program.

“Half of young people don’t think Medicare will be around when they reach retirement age,” Schriver said. “They get that. So let’s have a conversation about it.”

Curtiss said she is “totally with Ryan” when it comes to Medicare reform. “It’s something we have to do,” she said.

Talking to young people about Medicare is entirely different than talking to seniors about it — which Schriver says Ryan understands.

“There’s a message when you’re talking at [Florida retirement community] TheVillages. It’s important that the bipartisan Ryan-Wyden budget would not affect anyone over the age of 55,” he said. “If you’re 22, what does age 55 mean? So I think when talking to young people it’s the whiteboard approach — do you want it to go bankrupt or do you want it to be solvent?”

On social issues — particularly same-sex marriage — younger Republicans may even start to shift the overall party’s views. Most young GOPers agree that social issues aren’t as big a concern for them in a campaign that’s been dominated by the economy.

“There are a lot of younger people who do agree more on the conservative side — — but the social issues, they’re probably for same-sex marriage,” Echols said. ”I think the Republican Party has it right on the fiscal issues, which is going to bring a lot of people in.”

Josh Romney, Mitt Romney’s 37-year-old son, speaking at an event hosted by The Atlantic, National Journal and Microsoft Wednesday afternoon, said the party isn’t monolithic on social issues.

“I think there’s room in the Republican Party for people with a lot of different backgrounds on social issues,” he said. “Just like the Democratic Party, there’s different factions in the party that want different things.”

Most of all, though, younger delegates say they want to ensure their voices and concerns are being heard.

“I think the fact that I’ve become a conservative earlier than a lot of people traditionally have means that I’ll stick with those conservative values as I grow up,” said Evan Draim, who at 17 is the youngest GOP delegate. Draim — who has been sitting for scores of interviews — says he feels it’s important to “give words to how Republican policies are benefiting [his] generation.”

I went out and worked my precinct as a republican during the primary. We had young high school kids who had made up homemade signs, who did dances for the adults going into vote. They had such energy and enthusiasm!

The only young people who will be willing to throw their parents under the bus are those that know their parents won't be relying on them for financial help when their voucher doesn't cover their healthcare costs. Also, many students rely on Pell Grants to help them go to college and Ryan will be doing away with any financial education assistance except for Mitt's solution which will be .... "just borrow from your parents". Of course if your parents happen to have lost a job or lost their home to foreclosure, then I'm guessing they also lost their retirement money. Good luck!

Anybody who thinks "traditional Medicare" will still be there as a choice for people 55 or younger is fooling themselves. If Medicare is only there for the people with the most serious illnesses, it will not survive and sooner, rather than later, EVERYONE will be forced into the Republican "choice" of a voucher program. The voucher will NO WAY be enough to buy insurance on the private market for people with serious illnesses. Don't throw your parents under the bus!

Paul Ryan is the leader of Generation Sacrifice, he's one of the only real leaders in Washington currently. Here is someone who would not sit by while our country drowns. Entitlements he tackled them, the debt, got a plan to bring it back down to 20% of our GDP, special interest tax loopholes, gone. Real leadership is rare, Paul has it in spades.

let me guess; with squinted eyes the looked the other way from his legislative record and annoint him ober fiscal conservative wonk? denial denial denial... we don't need no stinkin facts- we create our own reality.

One thing is clear--Obama has not solved the country's economic problems for 3 reasons: inexperience, lack of economic knowledge, and lack of desire. He's intent on making us the "lowest common denominator" in the global community.

One thing is clear--Obama has not solved the country's economic problems for 3 reasons: inexperience, lack of economic knowledge, and lack of desire

So you think the fact that the GOP Senate blocked his initiative and appointments with a record number of filibusters during the 111th congress, and blocked essentially all his initiatives in the House once they had a majority in the 112th has nothing to do with it? What do you think Obama should have done, declared martial law and ruled by decree? Arrested the GOP leadership as "enemy combattants" and sent them to Gitmo?

He is a fraud. His budget doesn't balance or make a dent in the deficit. He wants to give additional unfunded tax cuts. Eliminating medicare is not solving the problem. Yes vouchers are code for if you have a pension and/or 401k you won't qualify for a voucher. Pushing the costs of medical care from the govern to the seniors does not solve the problem. We will now have seniors using the emergency room for their medical care. No person can save enough to fund their medical insurance in their senior years. Being old is a pre existing condition. we can fund medicare for our seniors it is a matter of do we want to. Taxes are the lowest they have been in decades so increase to the Clinton years and increase age and medicare issues are eliminated.

Here is what the spending really looks like, liberals claim Ryan is a big spender because he voted for a few bills when the deficit was 4 times lower, in an effort to get you to vote for a guy who's blown a 6 trillion dollar hole in our debt in just four years.

DVL look at your chart buddy, look at the depth of those GWB DEFICIT SPENDING YEARS- they're the deepest on the chart prior to obama taking office. so tell me what you think the impact has been on the depth of those red deficit lines on obama? do you think the bush deficit spending just vanished after O took office? did the wars, tax cuts, medicare D magically get all paid for when bush left office and the budget came back into balance, perhaps surplus as it was when bush took oiffice?

the wrap is that obama doubled/tripled the deficit spending somewhere between $4 trillion to $5 trillion dollars in just four years. i've been trying now for more than a week to get someone on the right to tick down a list of exactly what president obama spent all that money on... it took GWB EIGHT years just to double the debt and we know what that was largely spent on and the chart doesn't include medicare D which wasn't paid for. obama was in office when the fallout of the GWB profligate spending hit coupled with his 2nd recession- in NO WAY did president obama spend $4-$5 trillion in less than 4 years.